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Fullerton campus on lockdown after robbery, high-speed chase

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The incident began at 3:05 p.m. in Moreno Valley with the robbery of a jewelry store. Shots were fired, but it is not clear whether anyone was fatally injured, said Officer Steve Carapia with the California Highway Patrol’s Riverside office.

The suspect fled the scene, initiating a pursuit that took multiple police agencies across Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange and Los Angeles counties.

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The driver stopped in Fullerton, where he abandoned the vehicle and stole another car, then continued the chase. After more than an hour on the run, the man got out of the car in Watts and ran away. He was arrested by police moments later.

His name was not available, authorities said.

At 5 p.m. the Cal State Fullerton campus remained on lockdown as police searched the area for another suspect who may have escaped during the chase.

Laura Evangelista, 21, a third-year communications major, was in a room in University Hall with 35 other students and sent a text message to a reporter from The Times

“We’ve barricaded the doors. We’re using the projection screens to look up Twitter feeds and news sites for updates. Staying quiet, turned down the lights a little. One faculty member tried to come into the door, which I thought was stupid.”

Asked if she was scared, Evangelista responded:

“A bit, yeah. Not like mass panic, but this hasn’t ever happened in the time that I’ve been here. It’s a scary situation especially knowing they are armed. When that faculty tried to come in the door, it was so silent .... And that’s when you could tell everyone is kind of scared. It’s confusing also.”

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- Esmeralda Bermudez and Robert Lopez

Photo: Car chase after robbery. KTLA News

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